The Grand Canyon is one of the biggest and deepest canyons in the world. Its size, along with being easily accessible to visitors, has made it one of the most popular tourist attractions in the United States. The Grand Canyon is well known for its beautiful and colorful landscape, and every year it draws about five million visitors, 17% of whom are from outside the United States. The canyon is the result of the Colorado River cutting a channel through massive rocks over a period of six million years. The canyon we see today is 446 kilometers long, between 6.4 and 29 kilometers wide, and about 1.86 kilometers deep. The walls of the canyon record the many millions of years that it took the Colorado River to slowly gnaw its way through the rocks. To a geologist, these walls contain valuable details about the many different eras in our planet's history. To a tourist, they're just plain beautiful and make for an unforgettable photograph opportunity. The first European to view the Grand Canyon was the Spaniard García López de Cárdenas in 1540. Back then, it was inhabited by Native American tribes that believed the canyon was a holy place. Nowadays, it's part of the Grand Canyon National Park, which is one of the oldest parks in the United States. The park covers 4,926 square kilometers, most of which is in the state of Arizona. Park headquarters can be found at the Grand Canyon Village, where most of the popular scenic viewpoints are also located. There are many activities that visitors to the canyon can enjoy, including whitewater rafting and helicopter or airplane tours. Visitors who want to enjoy a more leisurely view of the canyon can take the Coconino Canyon Train. The park also completed the installation of a new glass walkway—the Grand Canyon Skywalk in 2007, which extends beyond the edge of the Grand Canyon. One thing that no tourist should do at Grand Canyon National Park is approach or feed the wild animals. It's not only illegal but also dangerous because it can change an animal's habits and lead to attacks on humans.
大峽谷是面積與深度皆堪稱世界之最的峽谷。遼闊的地理特性，加上對遊客來說交通非常方便，使它成為美國最受歡迎的觀光景點之一。 大峽谷以其雄偉多姿的地貌聞名，每天皆吸引將近500 萬名遊客前來朝聖，其中有17% 是外國遊客。科羅拉多河經過600 萬年沖蝕巨石而切割出河道的結果，即為我們眼前的大峽谷，全長446 公里，寬度約6.4 至29 公里，深度則將近1.86公里。 大峽谷的山壁記錄了上百萬年來，科羅拉多河緩慢沖蝕岩石的痕跡。對地理學家而言，山壁能透露出地球歷經許多不同年代的寶貴蛛絲馬跡。對於遊客來說，則是欣賞壯麗景緻與拍下難忘照片的大好機會。 西元1540 年，第一位探勘大峽谷的歐洲人是西班牙人卡迪那斯。當時已有美洲原住民部落定居於此，並視大峽谷為聖地。如今，大峽谷已列入美國最具悠久歷史之一的「大峽谷國家公園」領域。此國家公園佔地4,926 平方公里，多數範圍均於亞利桑納州內。大峽谷村設有國家公園總部，該處有許多廣為人知的熱門景點。 來到大峽谷的遊客有許多活動可選擇，包括湍流泛舟、直升機或小飛機觀景之旅。想要更加愜意欣賞大峽谷景色的遊客，還可搭乘大峽谷火車。國家公園亦於大峽谷邊緣拓建全新的玻璃步道──大峽谷天空步道，並於2007 年完工。 不過，觀光客在大峽谷國家公園裡唯一被禁止的舉動，就是接近或餵食任何野生動物。這麼做不僅觸法，還十分危險，因為這有可能改變動物的習性，導致動物攻擊人類。 | 
